Daily heart rate variability biofeedback training decreases locus coeruleus MRI contrast in younger adults in a randomized clinical trial.

ABSTRACT: As an arousal hub region in the brain, the locus coeruleus (LC) has bidirectional connections with the autonomic nervous system. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based measures of LC structural integrity have been linked to cognition and arousal, but less is known about factors that influence LC structure and function across time. Here, we tested the effects of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback, an intervention targeting the autonomic nervous system, on LC MRI contrast and sympathetic activity. Younger and older participants completed daily HRV biofeedback training for five weeks. Those assigned to an experimental condition performed biofeedback involving slow, paced breathing designed to increase heart rate oscillations, whereas those assigned to a control condition performed biofe

SUBMITTER: Bachman SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10591988 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature